Polyaxial bone screw with increased angulation

ABSTRACT

A polyaxial bone device includes a screw, a screw housing, and a spring. The screw includes a screw head and a shaft that extends from the screw head. The screw housing defines a longitudinal axis and a bore that extends along the longitudinal axis. The screw housing includes a basewall and opposed sidewalls that extend from the basewall. The basewall defines a notch that receives the shaft to increase pivotal movement between the screw and the screw housing relative to the longitudinal axis of the screw housing. The opposed sidewalk define a rod-receiving channel. The screw housing defines a transverse hole in communication with the bore. The spring is supported in the transverse hole and extends therethrough. The spring extends into the bore to frictionally engage the screw head while the screw head is seated in the bore.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to spinal surgery, and moreparticularly to polyaxial bone screws with increased angulation.

BACKGROUND

The spinal column is a complex system of bones and connective tissuesthat provide support for the human body and protection for the spinalcord and nerves. The adult spine is comprised of an upper and lowerportion. The upper portion contains 24 discrete bones, which aresubdivided into three areas including 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracicvertebrae and 5 lumbar vertebrae. The lower portion is comprised of thesacral and coccygeal bones. The cylindrical shaped bones, calledvertebrae or vertebral bodies, progressively increase in size from theupper portion downwards to the lower portion.

An intervertebral disc along with two posterior facet joints cushion anddampen the various translational and rotational forces exerted upon thespinal column. The intervertebral disc is a spacer located between twovertebral bodies. The facets provide stability to the posterior portionof adjacent vertebrae. The spinal cord is housed in the canal of thevertebral bodies. It is protected posteriorly by the lamina. The laminais a curved surface with three main protrusions. Two transverseprocesses extend laterally from the lamina, while the spinous processextends caudally and posteriorly. The pedicle connects the lamina to thevertebral body.

The spine is a flexible structure capable of a large range of motion.There are various disorders, diseases, and types of injury whichrestrict the range of motion of the spine or interfere with importantelements of the nervous system. The problems include, but are notlimited to scoliosis, kyphosis, excessive lordosis, spondylolisthesis,slipped or ruptured discs, degenerative disc disease, vertebral bodyfracture, and tumors. Persons suffering from any of the above conditionsmay experience extreme or debilitating pain and diminished nervefunction. These conditions and their treatments can be furthercomplicated if the patient is suffering from osteoporosis, or bonetissue thinning and loss of bone density.

Spinal fixation apparatuses are widely employed in surgical proceduresfor correcting spinal injuries and diseases. When the disc hasdegenerated to the point of requiring removal, there are a variety ofinterbody implants that are utilized to take the place of the disc.These include polyetheretherketone (“PEEK”) interbody spacers, metalcages, and cadaver and human bone implants. In order to facilitatestabilizing the spine and keeping the interbody in position, otherimplants are commonly employed, including longitudinally linked rodssecured to coupling elements, which in turn are secured to the bone byspinal bone fixation fasteners such as pedicle screws utilized tofacilitate stabilization of bone.

SUMMARY

in general, the present disclosure is directed to a polyaxial bone screwdevice including a screw and a screw housing. The screw housing definesa longitudinal axis and a notch configured to receive a portion of thescrew. The notch is configured to enable increased angulation of thescrew relative to the longitudinal axis of the screw housing in responseto relative pivotal movement between the screw and screw housing. Thepolyaxial bone screw device may include a spring that is positioned tofrictionally engage the screw to maintain the screw in an angledposition relative to the screw housing.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a polyaxial bonescrew device includes a screw, a screw housing, and a spring. The screwincludes a screw head and a shaft that extends from the screw head. Thescrew housing defines a longitudinal axis and a bore that extends alongthe longitudinal axis. The screw housing includes a basewall and opposedsidewalk that extend from the basewall. The basewall defines a notchconfigured to receive a portion of the shaft therein. The notch isconfigured to selectively increase pivotal movement between the screwand the screw housing relative to the longitudinal axis of the screwhousing in the direction of the notch. The opposed sidewalk define arod-receiving channel. The screw housing further defines a transversehole that is in communication with the bore. The spring is supported inthe transverse hole of the screw housing and extends therethrough. Thespring extends into the bore of the screw housing to frictionally engagethe screw head of the screw while the screw head is seated in the boreof the screw housing.

In disclosed embodiments, the spring may be configured to maintain theshaft at an angular position relative to the longitudinal axis of thescrew housing while frictionally engaged with the screw head.

In certain embodiments, the screw head may include an outer surface thatis configured to facilitate frictional engagement with the spring.

In some embodiments, the polyaxial bone screw device may further includean anvil disposed within the screw housing and positioned to support aspinal rod seated within the rod-receiving channel. The anvil may beseated on the screw head while a portion of the anvil is configured toengage the spring. The spring may be frictionally engaged with the screwhead while engaged to the portion of the anvil to support the screw in aposition relative to the screw housing.

In disclosed embodiments, the screw housing may be pivotable in a firstdirection relative to the screw to a first angle and may be pivotable ina second direction relative to the screw to a second angle. The firstangle may be different than the second angle. The shaft of the screw maybe positioned within the notch of the screw housing while disposed inthe first angle.

In certain embodiments, the first angle is about 60 degrees relative tothe longitudinal axis of the screw housing and the second angle is about45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the screw housing.

In disclosed embodiments, the polyaxial bone screw device may furtherinclude a pin disposed within the transverse hole to support the springtherein.

In some embodiments, the polyaxial bone screw device may further includea set screw configured to be threadably received within the screwhousing to secure a spinal rod within the screw housing.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofsecuring a spinal rod to a polyaxial bone screw is provided. The methodincludes inserting a polyaxial bone screw into bone. The polyaxial bonescrew has a screw, a screw housing, and a spring. The screw has a headand a shaft extending therefrom. The shaft is insertable into bone. Thescrew housing includes opposed sidewalls that define a U-shapedrod-receiving channel. The screw housing further defines an opening forreceiving the head of the screw, a notch for receiving a portion of theshaft, and a transverse hole. The spring extends through the transversehole and is maintained by a pin disposed within the transverse hole.

The method includes positioning the screw housing relative to the screw.The screw housing is movable in a first direction relative to the screwto a first angle. The screw housing is movable in a second directionrelative to the screw to a second angle. The first angle is greater thanthe second angle when the portion of the shaft of the screw is receivedin the notch of the screw housing at the first angle when the screwhousing is moved in the first direction. The method further includessupporting the portion of the shaft in one or both of the first andsecond angles through frictional engagement between the spring and thehead of the screw. The method includes coupling a spinal rod to thepolyaxial bone screw by inserting a portion of the spinal rod into theU-shaped rod-receiving channel of the screw housing of the polyaxialbone screw.

The method may further include selectively pivoting the screw along alongitudinal axis of the spinal rod in the first direction relative tothe screwhousing to the first angle. Positioning the screw housing mayinclude positioning the portion of the shaft within the notch such thatthe first angle is about 60 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis ofthe screw housing.

The method may further include selectively pivoting the screw along alongitudinal axis of the spinal rod in the second direction relative tothe screw housing to the second angle. Positioning the screw housing mayinclude positioning the portion of the shaft within another region ofthe screw housing that is separate from the notch such that the secondangle is about 45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the screwhousing.

The method may include securing the spinal rod to the polyaxial Tonescrew by attaching a set screw to the screw housing.

BRIEF′ DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute partof this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and,together with a general description of the disclosure given above, andthe detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve toexplain the principles of the disclosure, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view, with parts separated, of a polyaxial bonescrew in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG. 1 witha set screw thereof removed for clarity;

FIG. 2B is a side, perspective view of the set screw of the polyaxialbone screw of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a side view of a screw housing of the polyaxial bone screw ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3B is a bottom perspective view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG.3;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG. 3taken along section line 4-4;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the screw housing of FIG. 3A takenalong section line 4A-4A;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 5A is a bottom view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6A is a side view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG. 2A showncoupled to a spinal rod with the screw shaft depicted at a first anglerelative to the screw housing;

FIG. 6B is a side view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG. 2A with thepolyaxial bone screw depicted at a second angle relative to the screwhousing;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG. 2Ainserted into bone; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the polyaxial bone screw of FIG. 6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are now described in detail withreference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding elements in each of the several views. Ascommonly known, the term “clinician” refers to a doctor, a nurse, or anyother care provider and may include support personnel. Throughout thedescription, the term “proximal” refers to a portion of structure (e.g.,a device or component thereof) closer to the clinician, while the term“distal” refers to a portion of structure farther from the clinician.Additionally, in the drawings and in the description that follows, termssuch as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “side,” and similardirectional terms are used simply for convenience of description and arenot intended to limit the disclosure.

In the following description, well-known functions or constructions arenot described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure inunnecessary detail.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, a polyaxial bone screw 10generally includes a screw housing 20, an anvil 30, a spring 40 (e.g., acompression spring), a pin 50, a screw 60, and a set screw 70. Thepolyaxial bone screw 10 is configured to be cooperatively engaged to aspinal rod “R” (FIGS. 6A and 6B).

With reference to FIGS. 3-5A, the screw housing 20 of the polyaxial bonescrew 10 defines a longitudinal axis “L” and has a generally cylindricalshape. The screw housing 20 extends from a proximal end 20 a defining aproximal opening 21 a to a distal end 20 b defining a distal opening 21b. The proximal and distal ends 20 a and 20 b, respectively, of thescrew housing 20 may be disposed in parallel relation. In particular, asclearly evidenced in FIGS. 6A and 6B, proximal end 20 a lies along afirst plane and distal end 20 b lies along a second plane where thefirst and second planes are parallel to one another. The screw housing20 further includes opposing first and second sidewalls 20 c, 20 d thatextend proximally from the distal end 20 b of the basewall 20 f of thescrew housing 20 and define a generally U-shaped rod-receiving channel22 therebetween. Each of the first and second sidewalls 20 c, 20 ddefines an external flanged recess 23 that is configured to facilitategrasping of the screw housing 20 by an instrument (not shown) that canalso be used to facilitate insertion of the polyaxial bone screw 10 intoa vertebral body.

The annular basewall 20 f of the screw housing 20 extends distally tothe distal end 20 b of the screw housing 20. The screw housing 20defines a threaded internal surface 20 e and a rod slot or rod-receivingchannel 22 through a proximal portion of the screw housing 20, and acentral bore 24 through the screw housing 20 from the proximal opening21 a defined in the proximal end 20 a of the screw housing 20 to thedistal opening 21 b defined in the distal end 20 b of the screw housing20. The rod-receiving channel 22 is configured to receive a spinal rod“R” (FIGS. 6A and 6B) therein and the threaded internal surface 20 e isconfigured to threadably, receive a set screw 70 (FIG. 2B) for securingthe spinal rod “R” in the screw housing 20. The annular basewall 20 f ofthe screw housing 20 includes a central portion 20 g aligned with therod-receiving channel 22 and first and second side portions 20 h, 20 ialigned with the first and second sidewalls 20 c, 20 d, respectively.The first side portion 20 h of the annular basewall 20 f defines atransverse hole 26 that receives the spring 40 and pin 50. Thetransverse hole 26 is in communication with the bore 24 to enable thespring 40 to extend through the basewall 20 f and into the bore 24. Thecentral portion 20 g of the annular basewall 20 f includes a front wall20 j and a back wall 20 k. The screw housing 20 defines a relief grooveor notch 28 that may be milled out of the annular basewall 20 f.Although shown as positioned on the front wall 20 j, the notch 28 may bepositioned at any suitable location along the basewall 20 f (e.g., backwall 20 k, first side portion 20 h, second side portion 20 i, etc.). Inthis regard, it will be appreciated that while the notch is showndisposed on front wall 20 j, such that when the screw pivots in thedirection of the notch, it pivots parallel to a rod disposed in the rodslot. The notch may be disposed in one of side walls 20 h, 20 i suchthat when the screw pivots in the direction of the notch, it pivotsperpendicular to or at an acute angle with respect to the direction ofthe rod slot, or a rod disposed in the rod slot.

With reference to FIGS. 3B and 5A, the notch 28 is defined by a planarsurface 28 a connected to arcuate surfaces 28 b (e.g., defined by adiameter ranging from about 0.092 inches to about 0.096 inches incertain embodiments) disposed on opposite ends of the planar surface 28a. Each of the arcuate surfaces 28 b extends distally from the planarsurface 28 a to angled edges 28 c. The angled edges 28 c, which incertain embodiments, may be angled about 45 degrees relative to thelongitudinal axis “L,” extend to the distal end 20 b of the screwhousing 20. In certain embodiments, the diameter of the distal end 20 bof the screw housing 20 may be about 0.275 inches. In certainembodiments, the height of the notch 28 relative to distal end 20 b mayrange from about 0.034 inches to about 0.038 inches. Although the notch28 is shown to extend along an arc angle of about 60 degrees (e.g., 30degrees from centerline/midpoint thereof around a circumference of thescrew housing 20, the notch 28 may, in some embodiments, extend around agreater or lesser arc angle, e.g., up to about 180 degrees. In someembodiments, the arc angle may measure up to about 90 degrees. Inembodiments, the arc angle may measure up to about 30 degrees. Ingeneral, dimensions of the notch 28 will depend upon the amount ofangulation and/or dimensions of screw 60.

The centerline/midpoint of the notch 28 may be aligned with an axis ofthe U-shaped rod-receiving channel 22 (FIGS. 3A and 3B). In someembodiments, the centerline/midpoint of the notch 20 may be positionedsuch that the notch 28 is rotationally offset from the axis defined bythe U-shaped rod-receiving channel 22.

As can be appreciated, one or more of the dimensions of the notch 28disclosed herein may be provided to enable the polyaxial bone screw 10to achieve an increased angulation of about 15 degrees (e.g., up to 60degrees in a first pivot angle as compared to 45 degrees in a secondpivot angle). The ratios of two or more of the disclosed dimensions maybe predefined to enable such increased/optimized angulation (e.g.,height of notch 28 to degree of angulation).

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 4A, the annular basewall 20 f of thescrewhousing 20 further includes an internal surface 25 that defines aseat 25 a for supporting the head 62 of the screw member 60 at aninternal location spaced-apart from, and proximal to, a distal end ofthe screw housing 20. The seat 25 a extends to an inner edge 25 b, whichmay be C-shaped, and which includes first and second ends 25 c, 25 dthat circumferentially terminate at the notch 28. The inner edge 25 b isdisposed adjacent to the angled edges 28 c of the notch 28 and thedistal end 20 b of the screw housing 20. In some embodiments, the seat25 a has a diameter ranging between about 0.219 inches to about 0.223inches.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 4, the screw member 60 of the polyaxialbone screw 10 includes a head 62 (e.g., spherically-shaped) that ispositioned in contact with the seat 25 a of the screw housing 20 tosupport the screw member 60 in the screw housing 20, a neck 63 thatextends distally from a distal end of the head 62 to a threaded shaft64. The threaded shaft 64 extends distally from a distal end of the neck63 to a distal end of the screw member 60. The head 62 includes atextured or uneven outer surface 62 a (e.g., annular ribs, ridges, etc.)that is configured to frictionally engage with the spring 40 while thespring 40 is engaged with the anvil 30 to maintain the screw member 60in position relative to the screw housing 20. The head 62 defines adriving recess 62 b (e.g., hexolobular or the like) defined in aproximal end thereof for receiving a driving tool (e.g., screw driver)(not shown) configured to screw the threaded shaft 64 of the screwmember 60 into a hole in bone as the driving tool rotates the head 62 ofthe screw member 60. In particular, the screw member 60, while assembledto the screw housing 20, is configured to be screwed to a vertebral bodysuch as the lateral mass of the “atlas” vertebra (the “atlas” vertebrais anatomical parlance for the commonly designated C1 vertebra—notshown).

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, the anvil 30 of the polyaxialbone screw 10 is threaded into the screw housing 20 and positioned onthe head 62 of the screw member 60 and in locking engagement with thespring 40. The anvil 30 includes an annular anvil body 32, which may becylindrically-shaped, and defines a saddle 34 configured to support thespinal rod “R” (FIG. 6). The saddle 34 may be U-shaped. The annularanvil body 32 includes a threaded outer surface 32 a that is threadablyengaged with the threaded internal surface 20 e of the screw housing 20and positioned atop the head 62 of the screw member 60. The threadedouter surface 32 a further includes a pair of side slots 32 b extendingaxially along the threaded outer surface 32 on opposed sides of thethreaded outer surface 32 a. One of the slots 32 b receives the spring40 to enable the spring 40 to rotatably lock the anvil 30 in positionrelative to the screw housing 20 such that the rod-receiving channel 22of the screw housing 20 and the saddle 34 of the anvil 30 are aligned.The annular anvil body 32 defines a central opening 36 therethrough toprovide screw-driving access to the drive recess 62 b of the screwmember 60.

As seen in FIGS. 6-8, the screw housing 20 is configured to bepolyaxially movable (e.g., pivotable and rotatable) relative to thescrew member 60, for example, to accommodate the spinal rod “R” atvarious angular and/or rotational orientations. For instance, the screwhousing 20 is movable in a first direction relative to the screw member60 to receive the neck 63 of the screw member 60 within the notch 28.With the neck 63 positioned within the notch 28, the screw member 60 ispivoted away from the longitudinal axis “L” of the screw housing 20 todefine a first pivot angle “α” relative to the longitudinal axis “L”.Although the first pivot angle “α” is shown to measure about 60 degrees,in certain embodiments, the first pivot angle “α” may range between 50degrees to about 70 degrees, or more preferably between about 55 degreesto about 65 degrees. In some embodiments, the first pivot angle “a” mayrange between 45 degrees to about 70 degrees. Alternatively, in someembodiments, the first pivot angle “α” may range between 45 degrees toabout 90 degrees.

The screw housing 20 is also movable in conical directions “CD” (FIG.2A) relative to the screw member 60 that do not position the screwmember 60 in registration with the notch 28 when the screw member 60 ispivoted away from the longitudinal axis “L.” These conical directions“CD” include medial-lateral directions (e.g., directions transverse tothe spinal rod “R”) and (e.g., cranial-caudally and in-plane with spinalrod “R”—FIG. 7), at a second pivot angle “β” For instance, the screwhousing 20 is movable in a second direction, conical directions)relative to the screw member 60 to engage the neck 63 of the screwmember 60 at the distal end 20 b of the screw housing 20. With the neck63 engaged with the distal end 20 b, the screw member 60 is pivoted awayfrom the longitudinal axis “L” of the screw housing 20 to define asecond pivot angle “β” relative to the longitudinal axis Although thesecond pivot angle “β” is shown to measure about 45 degrees, in certainembodiments, the second pivot angle “β” may range between about 40degrees to about 50 degrees. In some embodiments, the second pivot angle“β” may range between about 35 degrees to about 55 degrees.

In this arrangement, the notch 28 is configured to provide about ⅓ moreangulation between the screw member 60 and the screw housing 20 in thefirst pivot angle “α” as compared to the second pivot angle “β”. Sucharrangement helps to optimize angulation while maintaining structuralintegrity/strength of screw housing 20.

Manufacturing of the polyaxial bone screw 10 may involve machining thescrew housing 20, the anvil 30, the pin 50, the screw member 60, and theset screw 70 in a lathe or screw machine. The notch 28 of the screwhousing 20 may be notched out of the screw housing 20 in a separatemilling operation. The spring 40 may be separately coiled.

In assembling the polyaxial bone screw 10, the threaded shaft 64 of thescrew member 60 is passed through the screw housing 20 until the head 62of the screw member 60 is rests on the seat 25 a of the screw housing20. Next, the threaded outer surface 32 a of the anvil 30 is threadedalong the threaded internal surface 20 e of the screw housing 20 untilit seats onto the head 62 of the screw member 60 with the U-shapedsaddle 34 of the anvil 30 aligned with the rod-receiving channel 22 ofthe screw housing 20. The pin 50 and the spring 40 are then insertedinto the transverse hole 26 of the screw housing 20. A staking tool (notshown) may then utilized to deform the edges of the transverse hole 26of the screw housing 20 to fixedly retain the pin 50 and the spring 40in the transverse hole 26 such that the spring 40 is disposed infrictional engagement with one of the side slots 32 b of the anvil 30and with the head 62 of the screw member 60.

In use, once the screw member 60 of the polyaxial bone screw 10 isscrewed into bone (e.g., vertebral body) the screw housing 20 of thepolyaxial bone screw 10 can be movable relative to the screw member 60through any of the angles detailed above to enable the screw housing 20to receive the spinal rod “R” in the rod-receiving channel 22 of thescrew housing 20. The frictional engagement between the head 62 of thescrew member 60 and the spring 40 helps maintain the screw member 60 andthe screw housing 20 at a desired angular orientation with respect toone another. Once the spinal rod “R” is supported in the screw housing20 on the anvil 30, the spinal rod “R” can be secured to the polyaxialbone screw 10 by threading the set screw 70 into the screw housing 20against the spinal rod “R,” as seen in FIG. 8, Before fully tighteningthe set screw 70, the screw housing 20 and the spinal rod “R” thereincan be further manipulated and/or pivoted relative to the screw member60 to achieve a desired angular position of the spinal rod “R.” Once thedesired angular position of the spinal rod “R” is achieved, the setscrew 70 can be fully tightened to fix the angular relationship betweenthe screw housing 20 and the screw member 60 of the polyaxial bone screw10.

The polyaxial bone screw system 10, or components thereof, may be formedfrom any suitable biocompatible material, including, for example, metals(e.g., a stainless steel, cobalt, chrome, titanium, and titanium alloy),polymers PEEK, polyphenylsulfone, polyetherimide, polycarbonate,polyethylene, polypropylene, polyacetal, or other such engineeringresin), or combinations of the aforementioned materials.

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the structures andmethods specifically, described herein and shown in the accompanyingfigures are non-limiting exemplary embodiments, and that thedescription, disclosure, and figures should be construed merely asexemplary of particular embodiments. It is to be understood, therefore,that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise embodimentsdescribed, and that various other changes and modifications may beeffected by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope orspirit of the disclosure. Additionally, the elements and features shownor described in connection with certain embodiments may be combined withthe elements and features of certain other embodiments without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure, and that such modificationsand variations are also included within the scope of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, the subject matter of the present disclosure isnot limited by what has been particularly shown and described.

What is claimed is:
 1. A polyaxial bone screw device comprising: a screwincluding a screw head and a shaft extending from the screw head; ascrew housing defining a longitudinal axis and a bore that extends alongthe longitudinal axis, the screw housing including a basewall andopposed sidewalls that extend from the basewall, the basewall defining anotch configured to receive a portion of the shaft therein, the notchconfigured to increase pivotal movement between the screw and the screwhousing relative to the longitudinal axis of the screw housing, theopposed sidewalls defining a rod-receiving channel, the screw housingfurther defining a transverse hole that is in communication with thebore; a spring supported in the transverse hole of the screw housing andextending therethrough, the spring extending into the bore of the screwhousing to frictionally engage the screw head of the screw while thescrew head is seated in the bore of the screw housing; and a pindisposed within the transverse hole and in engagement with the spring.2. The polyaxial bone screw device of claim 1, wherein the spring isconfigured to maintain the shaft at an angular position relative to thelongitudinal axis of the screw housing while frictionally engaged withthe screw head.
 3. The polyaxial bone screw device of claim 1, whereinthe screw head includes an outer surface that is configured tofacilitate flictional engagement with the spring.
 4. The polyaxial bonescrew device of claim 1, further including an anvil disposed within thescrew housing and positioned to support a spinal rod seated within therod-receiving channel.
 5. The polyaxial bone screw device of claim 4,wherein the anvil is seated on the screw head while a portion of theanvil is configured to engage the spring.
 6. The polyaxial bone screwdevice of claim 4, wherein the spring is frictionally engaged with thescrew head while engaged to the portion of the anvil to support thescrew in a position relative to the screw housing.
 7. The polyaxial bonescrew device of claim 1, wherein the screw housing is pivotable in afirst direction relative to the screw to a first angle and pivotable ina second direction relative to the screw to a second angle, the firstangle different than the second angle, the shaft of the screw positionedwithin the notch of the screw housing while disposed at the first angle.8. The polyaxial bone screw device of claim 7, wherein the first angleis about 60 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the screwhousing and the second angle is about 45 degrees relative to thelongitudinal axis of the screw housing.
 9. The polyaxial bone screwdevice of claim 1, further including a set screw configured to bethreadably received within the screw housing to secure a spinal rodwithin the screw housing.
 10. A method of securing a spinal rod to apolyaxial bone screw device, the method comprising: inserting apolyaxial bone screw into bone, the polyaxial bone screw having: a screwhaving a head and a shaft extending therefrom, the shaft insertable intobone; a screw housing including opposed sidewalls defining a U-shapedrod-receiving channel, the screw housing further defining an opening forreceiving the head of the screw, a notch for receiving a portion of theshaft, and a transverse hole; and a spring extending through thetransverse hole and maintained by a pin disposed within the transversehole; positioning the screw housing relative to the screw, the screwhousing movable in a first direction relative to the screw to a firstangle and movable in a second direction relative to the screw to asecond angle, the first angle greater than the second angle, wherein theportion of the shaft of the screw is received in the notch of the screwhousing at the first angle when the screw housing is moved in the firstdirection; supporting the portion of the shaft in at least one of thefirst and the second angles through frictional engagement between thespring and the head of the screw; and coupling the spinal rod to thepolyaxial bone screw by inserting a portion of the spinal rod into theU-shaped rod-receiving channel of the screw housing of the polyaxialbone screw.
 11. The method of claim 10, further including selectivelypivoting the screw along a longitudinal axis of the spinal rod in thefirst direction relative to the screw housing to the first angle. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein positioning the screw housing includespositioning the portion of the shaft within the notch such that thefirst angle is about 60 degrees.
 13. The method of claim 12, furtherincluding selectively pivoting the screw along a longitudinal axis ofthe spinal rod in the second direction relative to the screw housing tothe second angle.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein positioning thescrew housing includes positioning the portion of the shaft withinanother region of the screw housing separate from the notch such thatthe second angle is about 45 degrees.
 15. The method of claim 10,further including securing the spinal rod to the polyaxial bone screw byattaching a set screw to the screw housing.
 16. A polyaxial bone screwdevice comprising: a screw including a screw head and a shaft extendingfrom the screw head; a screw housing defining a longitudinal axis and abore that extends along the longitudinal axis, the screw housingincluding a basewall and opposed sidewalls that extend from thebasewall, the basewall defining a notch configured to receive a portionof the shaft therein, the notch configured to increase pivotal movementbetween the screw and the screw housing relative to the longitudinalaxis of the screw housing, the opposed sidewalls defining arod-receiving channel, the screw housing further defining a transversehole that is in communication with the bore; an anvil disposed withinthe screw housing; and a spring supported in the transverse hole of thescrew housing, the spring extending into the bore of the screw housingand being in engagement with the anvil and the screw head.
 17. Thepolyaxial bone screw of claim 16, wherein the anvil is positioned tosupport a spinal rod seated within the rod-receiving channel.
 18. Thepolyaxial bone screw of claim 16, wherein the anvil defines a slot andthe spring is engaged within the slot to rotatably lock the anvilrelative to the screw housing.